Johnson looks to make changes in county personnel manual

Grady County administrator J.C. (Buddy) Johnson III, reported to county commissioners that he is continuing his work to update and revise the county’s personnel manual.

On Tuesday, Johnson and the members of the Grady County Commission discussed the revisions to the county’s sick leave bank policy. The administrator is recommending some tightening of the policy, but said that he and his administration would work with county employees in need.

Up until now, Johnson said additional paid leave was given to employees “willy nilly,” but under his proposed policy a limit of 750 hours is now in effect and employees must exhaust all sick and annual leave before dipping into the sick leave bank.

The administrator also explained that the changes to the policy are also intended for these issues to be handled administratively rather than having to be brought before the board.

Human resources director and county clerk John White said the goal of the revised policy is also to transfer liability each year and not to increase the county’s liability.

The board authorized Johnson Tuesday to begin the process of adopting the new policy.

Johnson also discussed with commissioners his plan to tie performance evaluations with performance based bonuses for county employees. His goal is that all employees would be evaluated twice a year.

The administrator says that even the county’s constitutional officers will be required to evaluate their office personnel. Failure to complete the required evaluations would cause those employees in constitutional offices to not be eligible for bonuses.

Johnson told commissioners this week he also plans for required training to be included in the evaluation process. He said that employees must complete their required training in order to be eligible for bonuses.

These changes do not impact cost of living raises, which Johnson said are paid across the board.

“This gives our employees incentive to do better,” Commissioner Ray Prince said and Commissioner LaFaye Copeland added, “It needs to be on performance. One of my main concerns is customer service and you can enter an office and sometimes the customer service can be off track.”

The board authorized Johnson to move forward with the concept.

In other business Tuesday, the board:

• Heard a report from Commissioner Prince who had contacted members of the family of the late Ronald A. Hall, who served as a county commissioner. The board is interested in setting a date for the planting of a tree in memory of former commissioner Hall at Barber Park. According to Prince, the earliest a date that could be set would be in early June.

• Accepted the donation of one acre of land to be used for a remote fire station on Harrell Road. The donation was made by William Morgan West and Robert L. Holden.

• Approved the purchase of four AutoPulse compression systems for Grady EMS at a cost of $72,780. According to the county administrator, the new equipment will have to be purchased with contingency funds.

• Met in closed session with county commission attorney Gabe Ridley. Following the closed session, the board authorized Ridley to transfer right-of-way obtained by the county from three property owners on Johnson Road in south Grady County back to the landowners since the county is no longer planning to improve the section of Johnson Road that runs between Lower Hawthorne Trail and GA 111 South. The right-of-way will be transferred out of the county’s name and back into the holdings of Tyrrel Investments LLC, Guy and Lynn Johnson and Denard Campbell.